48
Metascore
22 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittA skeptical view of George W. Bush's chief political strategist, Karl Rove, using argumentative strategies common to agenda-driven documentaries.
- 75New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickOne of the better political documentaries flooding into theaters after "Fahrenheit 9/11" and before the election.
- 70Film ThreatMerle BertrandFilm ThreatMerle BertrandFull of enough legitimate red meat to incense salivating Democrats who can't wait to tear into a pound of Bush's flesh in November. Yet, this film should truly frighten partisans on both sides of the aisle.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe film leaves any opponent of the current administration with a discouraging ambivalence: On one hand, one wants to vehemently decry such tactics in American politics. On the other, one wants to know where the hell is the Democrats' Karl Rove?
- 50VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe LeydonBy turns darkly comical, seriously scary and purposefully incendiary, Bush's Brain may seem, depending on your politics, either a shamelessly one-sided assault on a popular U.S. president or a justifiably harsh critique of a politician who personifies the Peter Principle.
- 50Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanThe campaign's latest scare doc takes its title, Bush's Brain, and much of its argument from the portrait of political operative and bogeyman Karl Rove published last year by a pair of Dallas newsmen.
- 50The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenWhether or not Bush's Brain makes its case against Mr. Rove, the movie leaves you with the sickening feeling that it's no longer possible in American politics to stay out of the gutter unless, of course, you want to lose. Dirty politics work.
- 50New York Daily NewsJack MathewsNew York Daily NewsJack MathewsThe movie feels like a rush job and at times its tactics are as suspect as those attributed to its subject. But when it comes to political strategy trumping policy in the Bush White House, it makes its case.
- 30Dallas ObserverRobert WilonskyDallas ObserverRobert WilonskyThe movie, which feels as amateurish as a student film made for cable access, doesn't deliver the goods; the gotcha moment never comes.
- 30Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesAustin ChronicleKimberley JonesClearly the film is archly trying to connect the dots between Rove and the supreme mishandling of Iraq – and a compelling case might be made – but it isn't made here.